CDBurnerXPLicense: FreewareScreenshot: HereSize: 11.02 MBOperating systems: 98/ME/2000/XP/2003 Server.My Rating: Very Good - for a freebie, but Microsoft .NET Framework is a big obstacle for me.

CDBurnerXP is an easy to use CD/DVD burning software, that can write CD-R and CD-RW discs. The program can also write disks directly from an ISO image file, and save image as an ISO image file (*.iso). You can create data and audio CDs, and it supports Burn-Proof technology, multi-session disks, import of ISO images and more. In addition to CD burning, you can also rip audio CDs, normalize WAV files, encode MP3 files, erase disks, . CDBurnerXP does not require ASPI when used under for NT/2000/XP.

The main featuresCreate Data-CDs/DVDs

burn any Data on CD-R/CD-RW/DVD+R/DVD-R/DVD+RW/DVD-RW

burn mp3-CDs to store many audio files on one single disc

create bootable discs

verify written Data automatically after burning process

use either the internal browser to add your files or the intuitive Drop-Box to drag and drop files directly from any Windows Explorer window

apply file filters to see only the files you need (for example *.jpg to display only JPEG files in local browser)

BurnAware FreeLicense: FreewareScreenshot: HereSize: 5.9MBOperating systems: NT/2000/XP/Vista/7 (32 and 64 Bit), .Net framework is NOT requiredMy Rating: Good - BurnAware Free does exactly what is says, nothing more. A good and most importantly free alternative to things like Nero, at least if your needs are just simple burning. A ''Pro'' shareware version is available with more features. This program automatically installs the Ask.com toolbar unless you opt-out.

BurnAware allows you to easily perform the most common disc burning tasks: write to all CD/DVD media types, including Blue-Ray; write Audio CDs and DVD-Video files; create and burn disc images; write multi-session discs and much more. BurnAware Free is one of the most popular free CD, DVD, Blu-ray Disc burning software available for Windows. Using this program you can easily create and burn Audio and MP3 CD, Data and DVD-Video disc, ISO and Cue Image, erase or format rewritable disc, copy your CD or DVD to ISO image.

The main featuresWith BurnAware you are able to:

Burn Data, Bootable and Multisession discs

Burn Audio, Video and MP3 discs

Create and burn ISO/CUE/BIN images

Copy discs to ISO images

Erase rewritable discs

Supports:

All media types (CD/DVD/Blu-ray Disc) including Double Layer

All current hardware interfaces (IDE/SCSI/USB/1394/SATA) including AHCI

Ashampoo Burning StudioLicense: Shareware; $49.99 Free Version with less features Available Here 8.3MBScreenshot: HereSize: 71.99MBOperating systems: XP/Vista/Windows 7My Rating: Very Good - Ashampoo Burning Studio is everything you need it to be, and you just can't beat German engineering. Ashampoo Burning Studio is the perfect Nero replacement, small size, extreme fast speed, superb features and clear user interface, whatever you are a veteran or a beginner, you will feel it's developed for you. The 2010 version added more features but the overall size increased up to 80MB. At this point if you really want to replace NERO give it a try if not switch to ImgBurn for smaller size and powerful features.

Ashampoo Burning Studio users are unusually loyal, with good reason – this program’s speed, simplicity and efficiency are simply unbeatable. Over the years the Ashampoo programmers have turned the program into a full suite that can handle all your data, audio and video burning and authoring tasks, without sacrificing its famous ease of use. In version 10 they have once again added a wealth of new features and modules, but the program is still amazingly intuitive to use – everything is explained as you do it. The main focus of this premium version is even better authoring capabilities for building video and audio discs using the latest formats. HD and Full HD video (720p and 1080p) are now fully supported for Blu-ray discs, and all the encoding is handled by Ashampoo Burning Studio 10. All the authoring tools have been overhauled and the video encoding quality is even better than before. You now use the same new integrated editor for building DVD and Blu-ray video disks with menus. The program also starts more quickly and is generally snappier to use. In addition to this there is a new Autoplay Editor module with which you can build auto-starting data discs with attractive interactive menus – for example for collections of programs. And there is now also a new Audio Player with which you can play audio files and audio CDs without leaving the program.

The main featuresWith Ashampoo Burning Studio you are able to:

Create MP3 CDs/DVDs/Blu-ray discs

Burn Movies as Video DVD, Video CD (VCD) or Super Video CD (S-VCD)

Create and burn CD/DVD/Blu-ray Images

Load and save project files

Erase CD-RWs / DVD+RWs / DVD-RWs / BD-REs

Drag&Drop functions for adding files directly from the Windows® Explorer

Supports file names with up to 127 characters for DVDs and Blu-ray and 64 characters for CDs

The new Ashampoo Burning Studio is the all-round tool for all CD, DVD and Blu-ray disc burning tasks. The main focus of this faster, more powerful premium version is even better authoring capabilities for building video and audio discs using the latest formats. HD and Full HD video are now fully supported for Blu-ray discs, and all the encoding is handled by Ashampoo Burning Studio.

Nero BurnLite 10License: Freeware but Ad-SupportedScreenshot: HereSize: 32 MBOperating systems: XP/Vista/Windows 7My Rating: Poor - Nero BurnLite doesn't says anything new to me. Nero AG try to rescue the boat that sinks building a ''Lite'' version of his over bloated Nero Multimedia Suite 10 Platinum HD but it fails horribly by stripping down all the useful features for a normal use and forcing the users to install the ASK toolbar. Good only if you want to give away your old computer to Grandma.

This version of Nero BurnLite 10 contains simply data burning and disc copying features for CDs and DVDs. Additional features and functionality are available with an upgrade to Nero Burning ROM or Nero Multimedia Suite 10. Nero BurnLite 10 installs the Ask toolbar without the users consent, here is how to install Nero 10 Free version without Ask Toolbar.

Supported media for burning:

CD-R

CD-RW

DVD±R

DVD±RW

DVD-RAM

DVD±R DL

Supported disc formats:

Data CD (ISO, UDF, ISO/UDF)

Data DVD (ISO, UDF, ISO/UDF)

Note:

On 64-bit operating systems, applications run in 32-bit emulation modeThe devices must be correctly installed and recognized by the operating system for the product to work properlyInstallation of the latest WHQL certified device drivers is strongly recommended

Prassi OnesLicense: Shareware; $24.40Screenshot: HereSize: 6 MBOperating systems: 98/ME/2000/XPMy Rating: Good - The price is atractive has a lot of features. Prassi Ones has a clean interface so is very easy to use. A good Nero perfect replacement for XP based systems. Not sure about the compatibility with VISTA / Windows 7, Prassi Ones hasn't been updated since 2006.

ONES has been designed to meet the needs of both beginners and experienced users alike, thanks to its intuitive and user-friendly interface. ONES is different from other CD/DVD burning software as it uses an innovative new recording technology which means that it can function with any existing or future CD/DVD recorder. Updates are no longer necessary. ONES stands out from the crowd in implementing innovative recording technology with a unique Fuzzy Logic approach. It’s a totally driver-less application that will not require new versions to manage most of the new CD and DVD recording drives that are coming to the market. Burn easily DVD Video, DVD ROM, Audio CD, CD Rom, CD Ex.

Padus DiscJuggler ProfessionalLicense: Shareware; $59.00Screenshot: HereSize: 10 MBOperating systems: 98/ME/2000/XPMy Rating: Very Good - The price is not so atractive but Padus DiscJuggler has a lot of features. A little outdated since the last version made available was on 2006.

DiscJuggler Standard Edition, DiscJuggler Professional Edition and DiscJuggler.NET are software applications designed to do a variety of tasks with optical storage discs. Each of these products support the Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003 operating systems, but not all features may function on older operating systems. The program’s feature set is designed to provide any CD or DVD writing drive owner with a comprehensive set of disc creation, duplication, and extraction functions in a straightforward user interface.

The main features of DiscJuggler Standard Edition

Support for Microsoft® Windows™ 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003

Independent ASPI layer

CD writing methods:

Track-At-Once

Session-At-Once

Disc-At-Once

RAW Disc-At-Once (with full PQ/R-W sub-code support and the ability to burn multiple sessions at once)

CD-TEXT (read and write)

CDDB (on-the-fly conversion to and from CD-TEXT, ID3 tags, and Windows Media tags)

InfraRecorderLicense: FreewareScreenshot: HereSize: 3.53 MBOperating systems: 2000/XP/Vista/7My Rating: Very Good - The price is awesome (free), Infra Recorder is made by the same author of TUGzip and is based on CDRtools technology.

The main features

Create custom data, audio and mixed-mode projects and record them to physical discs as well as disc images.

Blank (erase) rewritable discs using four different methods.

Record disc images.

Fixate discs (write lead-out information to prevent further data from beeing added to the disc).

Scan the SCSI/IDE bus for devices and collect information about their capabilities.

Create disc copies, on the fly and using a temporary disc image.

Import session data from multi-session discs and add more sessions to them.

DeepBurnerLicense: Freeware/Shareware $24.95Screenshot: HereSize: 1.1 MBOperating systems: 98/ME/2000/XPMy Rating: Very Good - I must confess, personally i never liked the shareware/freeware restrictions in a program, for me a piece of software is 100% free or not but DeepBurner has enough features even in the free version so i think is pretty good for a freebie. Also you'll be surprised by the DeepBurner spartan interface but if you want a Free alternative to NERO than you should say thanks to AstonSoft for this great little program. A portable version is available too that works straight from removable media, whether it's a USB flash drive, compact flash card, or even a good old floppy.

The main features

You can easily create and burn regular data CDs/DVDs

AudioCD recording functionality is included

Direct disk-to-disk copying is a cinch*

Quickly build and burn ISO Images

Burning Video DVDs is no problem*

Create awesome, personalized photo CD/DVD albums*

Rest assured with the full-featured backup utility*

CD/DVD burning from the command line for you pro's*

Drive and media information utility included*

Supports IDE/EIDE, USB, SCSI, and Fire Wire CD/DVD writers

Overburn function

Buffer underrun technology "Burn-Proof"

DAO, SAO and TAO Writing methods support

Support for CD-R / CD-RW / DVD-R / DVD+R / DVD-RW / DVD+RW / DVD-RAM

Create Multi-session CDs

Bootable CD/DVD support

Dynamically adjustable drive buffer size

High Performance File/Disc Caching

Supports Long File Name (Joliet) File Systems

Creates ISO (100% DOS/Windows) compatible data CDs/DVDs

Supports multiple simultaneous recorders

Easy to use wizards help you create any type of burning project

The Autorun Wizard makes it easy to create effective autoruns for your CDs

CDrtfeLicense: Freeware / Open SourceScreenshot: HereSize: 2.5 MBOperating systems: 98/ME/2000/XPMy Rating: Good - Free, open source and based on CDRtools like his young cousin Infra Recorder. CDrtfe has a very clean and pleasant interface along with some great features and the price. Not a word about Windows 7 compatibility on the author homepage still, the latest version was made on September, 2009

AV Burning StudioLicense: Shareware; $29.95Screenshot: HereSize: 8.8 MBOperating systems: 98/ME/2000/XPMy Rating: Fair - because the interface reminds me of Sateira otherwise is ok. AV Burning Studio is a good burning suite but never will replace NERO; if you have some bucks to spend ($29.95) take a look at Ashampoo, Prassi Ones, DeepBurner or try a freebie.

Oront Burning KitLicense: Shareware; $29.95Screenshot: HereSize: 5.51 MBOperating systems: 98/NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista/7My Rating: Good - not bad, not bad at all for a newcomer. Oront Burning Kit has a clean interface and will perfectly fit your daily burning needs. Not recommended for a ''pro'' user. Interface very similar to InfraRecorder ?! If you really want to spend 30.00 USD just go with BurnAware Home.

GEAR PRO's powerful scripting feature allows you to create GEAR batch files, which can automate repetitive tasks, or allow GEAR to be called from external programs, such as custom scripts or schedulers. GEAR PRO also allows you to run any GEAR command manually from a Command Line Interface. These powerful commands allow for extended functionality beyond what is available through the graphical user interface. Access the world-renowned GEARWorks CD and DVD recording engine directly through GEAR PRO!

Supports all CD and DVD drives and recorders (burners) on the market today, through any drive interface.

Runs on Windows 7/Windows Vista/XP/2000.

GEAR's recording engine is installed and running reliably on millions of PCs around the world.

GEAR's updated drivers and device configuration files are always available for free download.

GEAR's support staff is always available to help you through our Support Forums, or directly by e-mail.

Explore&BurnLicense: Shareware $14.95Screenshot: HereSize: 3.1 MBOperating systems: XP/Vista/7My Rating: Fair - Another lightweight disc burning software. Maybe too light for my taste. Once free, starting from the 1.6 version Explore&Burn went shareware so personally I don't like this kind of changes. Nothing so great to offer but for $15 you can't get anything better except free software.

Explore&Burn features

Burn any files to new CDs and DVDs or update discs burned earlier by adding new files and folders.

True BurnerLicense: FreewareScreenshot: HereSize: 3.1 MBOperating systems: NT/2000/XP/Vista/7 (32 and 64 Bit)My Rating: Good - True Burner is BurnAware. BurnAware is TrueBurner. BurnAware was created by GloryLogic than sold to BurnAware Technologies and just like BurnAware Free True Burner is Ad supported (uses OpenCandy on install only) .OpenCandy is a service that lets application developers generate more money from their apps.

ImgBurnLicense: FreewareScreenshot: HereSize: 5.1 MBOperating systems: NT/2000/XP/Vista/7My Rating: Excellent - We have a winner this year. ImgBurn is superior product in every possible way. This is by far the best piece of freeware I have ever used! Newbies: Don't get scared of the huge functions and options that ImgBurn has to offer, the friendliest way to use ImgBurn is in its Ez-Mode Picker view. It's interface can be as simple or complex as you want, offering either a few simple choices or a multitude of drive settings. Truly the best free CD/DVD/Blu-Ray Burning and Disc Imaging program around. This software has a lot to offer for both beginners and power users, so why to pay when you can get it for free!

: Since 2006 when this topic was created, a lot of websites reproduced this topic in some form or another with a single purpose: more visitors, more money. I perfectly understand your needs but stealing is not nice. At least please give NEOWIN some credit when you try to copy other people's work. That's why starting from this year copying this article to your website is strictly NOT allowed. However, if you like this article, you can use the HTML code below to directly link to this article. Thanks everyone.

Ive had problems with CDBurnerXP Pro before. When I start the program, it would ask for the installer to install again even though its already installed, when I hit cancel it would just exit. Now this has happen with three fresh installs of XP. So im assuming there was a bug in the installer, this was a older version, so they could have had fixed the issue

excellent guide, i'd like to see more comments from users on what they think, cause i hate nero now, its so over complicated and bloated, so i want something new. This is the forum i've been looking for